Minor races 2018 (contains spoilers)

Don't get over-excited but the Tour Down Under starts on January 16th. I know it's not the real deal but at least it's something.
And on the 21st it's the Vuelta a San Juan, which presumably used to be the San Luis.

Don't get over-excited but the Tour Down Under starts on January 16th. I know it's not the real deal but at least it's something.
And on the 21st it's the Vuelta a San Juan, which presumably used to be the San Luis.

San Juan looks to have replaced San Luis (which was cancelled last year) on the calendar; it's apparently a neighbouring province and was elevated to UCI status this year. San Luis had sponsorship problems leading to it's cancellation last year, I think they had been planning on running it on a smaller scale this year if they got sponsorship sorted.

Aussie nationals are on at the moment. Caleb Ewan won the Elite men's crit for the third year running, with 80s action movie hero Steele Von Hoff in second place. TTs tomorrow (Friday) and Elite road races on Sunday. Anyone know if Matthews is taking part? I presume not since he hasn't been back home to race for a few years, but I can't find any start lists.

Don't get over-excited but the Tour Down Under starts on January 16th.

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And the Santos Women's Tour starts on the 11th.

Other races coming up include the Tropicale Amissa Bongo. Direct Energie are sending a decent team again - Gene will be defending his title. (ETA: sorry, TMN to Marmers, didn't notice he'd already mentioned it)

Georgia Williams does the double by winning the NZ women's road race to go with her TT title. Doesn't look like the level of competition is that high in NZ but she does look like a promising talent.

Alexandra Manly, another Mitchelson-Scott rider, also looks like one to watch - still just 21 but has taken the U23 ITT title for the second year in a row, and could repeat that in the road race today. (Looks like the U23 women's race is combined with the elite race.)

Aus road race:
Alex Edmondson won the men's race, Jay McCarthy 2nd, and some kid I've never heard of called Chris Harper 3rd. Caleb Ewan only managed 4th and Porte was in the bunch. Sounds like the race was affected by seriously hot conditions (over 40ºC).

I've not heard of any of the top three in the women's race - Shannon Malseed, Lauren Kitchen and Grace Brown - who is apparently a 25yo former runner who only took up cycling in 2016. Spratt and Garfoot were in the bunch, Gillow a few seconds behind, Elvin, Cromwell, Hosking et al well off the pace.

Alexandra Manly finished 18th overall (same group as Hosking and Cromwell), which was high enough to retain the U23 title.

NZ road race:
Jason Christie won the men's race. Never heard of him. Hayden McCormick was 2nd - he rides for OnePro Cycling and features in a lot of British minor races, apparently. Michael Torckler in 3rd rides mainly in NZ domestic races. George Bennett was fourth on the same time, Jack Bauer was some way behind.

"NZ road race:Jason Christie won the men's race. Never heard of him. Hayden McCormick was 2nd - he rides for OnePro Cycling and features in a lot of British minor races, apparently. Michael Torckler in 3rd rides mainly in NZ domestic races. George Bennett was fourth on the same time, Jack Bauer was some way behind".

Brian Smith signed both Jason, and Jack Bauer for Endura Racing in 2010, but unlike Jack, his contract was not renewed for 2011.